The United Arab Emirates isn’t the first place that springs to mind when talking super-refined techno. But it inspired the young talent of Darling Farah enough to begin writing and recording some deliciously dark, smoky lo-fi, perhaps aided by the fact that he was born in Detroit, moving to the UAE at a young age. Bound by some fairly oppressive musical laws (the minimum age limit for performing live in UAE is twenty-one, and playing music in most public places is illegal), Farah simply concentrated on writing his own material, resulting in several excellent EPs, before moving to London in 2012.
After an inspired creative splurge of just three months, the twenty year-old Farah has put together ‘Body’, his debut full-length. It’s a ridiculously sharp and mature record, with his early Detroit roots feeding through the album’s ultra-minimal Berlin pulse. Haunting, dubbed-out resonations fall onto stark percussion and Detroit punches, such as on ‘Curse’, and tracks like ‘Realised’ plunge the depths of stripped back mechanics that Seth Troxler couldn’t bring himself to explore.
Despite, or perhaps because of, the acute sparseness of ‘Body’, Farah has captured a vast sound. It’s not an easy listen – strap on the Sennheisers, close your eyes and be engulfed – but it’s a worthwhile journey.
Darling Farah Essentials:
‘BODY’ (CIVIL MUSIC)
‘YOUNGER’ (CIVIL MUSIC)
‘DIVISION’ (CIVIL MUSIC)
